Dr. Porcelli studies the control of acquired immunity – the type that develops when our bodies generate specific responses involving antibodies or T cells following exposure to vaccines or infection by disease-causing microbes. In particular, he investigates how T cells – which supervise both defense against microbes and immune tolerance – control the acquired immune response.

Dr. Porcelli focuses on particular specialized T cells known as CD1d-restricted NKT cells. Using mouse models of autoimmune disorders, infections, and cancer, Dr. Porcelli is studying how the function of these specialized T cells can be altered to produce immune responses that are optimal for human health.

Another area of Dr. Porcelli’s research involves Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterial species that causes tuberculosis (TB). With colleagues at Einstein, he has identified M. tuberculosis genes that help the microbe evade the body’s cell-mediated immunity. The Einstein researchers are using this information to create strains of TB bacteria that may be more effective than the existing vaccine at producing protective immunity against TB. Dr. Porcelli is a fellow of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.